The Hobbit Shire

On picturesque private farmland near Matamata on the North Island of New Zealand, I visited the remnants of the original Hobbiton movie set from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. In September 1998 Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema discovered the Alexander family farm during an aerial search for suitable film sites for "The Lord of the Rings". The fantastic views and rolling country side of the Alexander Farm closely resembled that of Middle-earth as described by author, JRR Tolkien. The large established pine tree, later re-named the party tree, was already perfectly placed in front of the lake. The surrounding rolling farmland was untouched by 20th century clutter such as roads, buildings or power lines. The farm was perfect. Site construction started in March 1999. Initially this involved heavy earthmoving machinery provided by the New Zealand Army. Total site construction took nine months. Throughout construction and filming all activity on the site was kept under strict security due to commercial restraints by the movie company. Filming commenced in December 1999 and continued for three months. At its peak 400 people were working on site, including director Peter Jackson, and actors Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Sir Ian Holm (Bilbo), Sean Astin (Sam), Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Dominic Monaghan (Merry). After filming on the site was completed heavy rain stopped the dismantling of the set, leaving about half the hobbit homes in place. New Line Cinema ...

Channel: YouTube Video Length: 1m 25s Date Found: Thu, Nov 25 2010 10:10 AM Category: Travel Date Produced: Fri, Mar 05 2010 12:44 AM View Count: 0